Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition Defense, OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal, International Criminal Court Defense, and US Seizure of Non-Resident, Foreign-Owned Assets. Because we have experience dealing with INTERPOL, our firm understands the inter-relationship that INTERPOL’s “Red Notice” brings to this equation.

The author of this blog is Douglas C. McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury on May 16, 2013 released the following:

“Action Targets Senior Syrian Officials as well as Companies

Supporting the Government of Syria and Linked to Iran’s IRGC-QF and Hizballah

WASHINGTON – Since peaceful protests against the Assad regime began more than two years ago, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has employed a series of new Executive Orders (E.O.) to sanction and expose those involved in human rights abuses in Syria as well as senior Syrian government officials. Continuing these efforts, the Treasury Department today designated four senior officials of the Syrian government; one airline responsible for transporting weaponry to the Assad regime; and one privately owned television station for providing services to the Syrian government – including the despicable practice of airing forced confessions. To date, the United States has imposed sanctions on the Government of Syria, including its Central Bank and oil companies, and more than 100 individuals and entities under a number of our authorities.

“Treasury will continue to use all of the tools at our disposal to expose and disrupt the financial networks of those responsible for the Syrian government’s egregious campaign to suppress its people,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. “We are determined to target activity contributing to the abhorrent humanitarian situation in Syria – whether by overseeing the Assad government’s indiscriminate killing of civilians, shipping weapons to the Syrian government, abusing positions of trust to supply intelligence to the regime, or disseminating the regime’s propaganda.”

Today, the Treasury Department designated four senior officials of the Syrian government, including the Minister of Defense Fahd Jassem al-Freij, the Minister of Health Sa’ad Abdel-Salam al-Nayef, the Minister of Industry Adnan Abdo Al-Sukhni, and the Minister of Justice Najm Hamad al-Ahmad, pursuant to E.O. 13573, which targets the Syrian regime’s continuing escalation of violence against the Syrian people. Fahd Jassem al-Freij was appointed Minister of Defense and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the Armed Forces by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on July 18, 2012, following the death of his predecessor Dawood Rajiha. In August 2012, President Assad appointed Adnan Abdo Al-Sukhni as Minister of Industry, Najm Hamad Al-Ahmad as Minister of Justice, and Sa’ad Abdel-Salam al-Nayef as Minister of Health.

Minister of Defense al-Freij is also being designated pursuant to E.O. 13572 for his role in the commission of human rights abuses in Syria. During his time as Syrian Minister of Defense, the Syrian military forces have wantonly and capriciously killed Syrian civilians, including through the use of summary executions and indiscriminate airstrikes against civilians. Some of these airstrikes killed civilians waiting outside of bakeries.

The Treasury Department today also designated the Syrian government-owned Syrian Arab Airlines, pursuant to our counter-terrorism authority, E.O. 13224, for acting for or on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF). The IRGC-QF has used Syrian Arab Airlines cargo flights to transport illicit cargo – including weapons and ammunition – to Syria. Hizballah, Iran’s terrorist proxy, helped facilitate these flights for the IRGC-QF. The weapons, suspected to include mortars, small arms, rockets, and light anti-aircraft guns, have been sent to Syria to support the Syrian regime’s violent crackdown against its own people. Syrian Arab Airlines is also being identified as part of the Government of Syria pursuant to E.O. 13582, which blocks the property of the Syrian government.

Finally, today’s action targets Al-Dunya Television, a privately owned 24-hour, satellite channel that began transmission in March 2007. Al-Dunya Television is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13582 for its links to the Government of Syria. Correspondents of Al-Dunya and official Syrian television allegedly conducted interviews that were not broadcast, but were delivered to Syrian intelligence personnel who used them to arrest interviewees who refuted the reports of Syrian authorities. After ransacking and storming farms in Harasta, Syria, Syrian government forces planted weapons and ammunition and brought in an Al-Dunya crew to falsely portray the location as a weapons depot. Correspondents from Al-Dunya and Syrian television accompanied Syrian military intelligence units to interview detainees. The detainees were interviewed after being tortured and threatened with death to force them to say what the Government of Syria wanted.

U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the individuals and entities designated today, and any assets of those designees subject to U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.”

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition Defense, OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal, International Criminal Court Defense, and US Seizure of Non-Resident, Foreign-Owned Assets. Because we have experience dealing with INTERPOL, our firm understands the inter-relationship that INTERPOL’s “Red Notice” brings to this equation.

The author of this blog is Douglas C. McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition Defense, OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal, International Criminal Court Defense, and US Seizure of Non-Resident, Foreign-Owned Assets. Because we have experience dealing with INTERPOL, our firm understands the inter-relationship that INTERPOL’s “Red Notice” brings to this equation.

The author of this blog is Douglas C. McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition Defense, OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal, International Criminal Court Defense, and US Seizure of Non-Resident, Foreign-Owned Assets. Because we have experience dealing with INTERPOL, our firm understands the inter-relationship that INTERPOL’s “Red Notice” brings to this equation.

The author of this blog is Douglas C. McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition Defense, OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal, International Criminal Court Defense, and US Seizure of Non-Resident, Foreign-Owned Assets. Because we have experience dealing with INTERPOL, our firm understands the inter-relationship that INTERPOL’s “Red Notice” brings to this equation.

The author of this blog is Douglas C. McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated the terrorist group Hizballah for providing support to the Government of Syria, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13582, which targets the Government of Syria and its supporters. This action highlights Hizballah’s activities within Syria and its integral role in the continued violence the Assad regime is inflicting on the Syrian population.

Since the beginning of the Syrian people’s courageous campaign in early 2011 to secure their universal rights, Hizballah has provided training, advice and extensive logistical support to the Government of Syria’s increasingly ruthless efforts to fight against the opposition. Hasan Nasrallah, Hizballah’s Secretary-General, has overseen Hizballah’s efforts to help the Syrian regime’s violent crackdown on the Syrian civilian population. Hizballah has directly trained Syrian government personnel inside Syria and has facilitated the training of Syrian forces by Iran’s terrorist arm, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF). Hizballah also has played a substantial role in efforts to expel Syrian opposition forces from areas within Syria.

“Hizballah’s extensive support to the Syrian government’s violent suppression of the Syrian people exposes the true nature of this terrorist organization and its destabilizing presence in the region,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. “Long after the Assad regime is gone, the people of Syria and the entire global community will remember that Hizballah, and its patron Iran, contributed to the regime’s murder of countless innocent Syrians.”

Hizballah has coordinated its support to the Government of Syria with the IRGC-QF and senior Syrian government officials. The IRGC-QF, which serves as a conduit for Iran’s material support to the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate (GID), was listed for sanctions in the Annex to E.O. 13572, which targets those responsible for human rights abuses in Syria. It had been previously sanctioned under E.O.13224 in October 2007 for its support to terrorists, including Hizballah. Qasem Soleimani, the long-time commander of the IRGC-QF, was also designated last year pursuant to E.O. 13572 for his personal support to the Syrian regime.

For years, Iran has also provided Hizballah with training, weapons and explosives, as well as political, diplomatic, monetary and organizational aid. The IRGC-QF’s continued cooperation and coordination with Hizballah has assisted the Syrian government’s efforts to violently crush opposition to Assad’s rule in Syria and highlights the combined Iranian and Syrian campaign to use their military resources and terrorist clients to inflict violence and suffering on the Syrian people and deny their legitimate democratic aspirations.

Hizballah was previously named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to E.O. 13224 in October 2001, and listed in the Annex to E.O. 12947 as a Specially Designated Terrorist (SDT) on January 23, 1995. Hasan Nasrallah was named an SDT pursuant to E.O. 12947 in January 1995.

In addition to the actions taken against the IRGC-QF and Qasem Soleimani in 2011 under E.O. 13572, the United States has repeatedly exposed Iran’s support for the ongoing violence perpetrated by the Syrian government. In June 2011, Treasury designated Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) which, like the IRGC-QF, provided material support to the Syrian GID; the LEF also dispatched personnel to Damascus to assist the Syrian government in its efforts to suppress the Syrian people. In February 2012, Treasury designated the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security, Iran’s primary intelligence organization, for providing substantial technical assistance to the Syrian GID. With actions such as today’s designation, Treasury will continue to expose Iran’s provision of support to the Government of Syria as well as its continued support of Hizballah’s activities within Syria and throughout the region.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition Defense, OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal, International Criminal Court Defense, and US Seizure of Non-Resident, Foreign-Owned Assets. Because we have experience dealing with INTERPOL, our firm understands the inter-relationship that INTERPOL’s “Red Notice” brings to this equation.

The author of this blog is Douglas C. McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition Defense, OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal, International Criminal Court Defense, and US Seizure of Non-Resident, Foreign-Owned Assets. Because we have experience dealing with INTERPOL, our firm understands the inter-relationship that INTERPOL’s “Red Notice” brings to this equation.

The author of this blog is Douglas C. McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.